Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Warm and comforting sweet potato and chickpea curry made with a lightly spiced coconut sauce. This wholesome and nutritious vegetarian curry is made in one big pan and can be ready in just one hour.

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👩🏻‍🍳 Why make this recipe

This warming sweet potato and chickpea curry is a great option for a delicious vegetarian dinner with plenty of healthy veg and aromatic spicy flavours. The sweet potatoes really bring this dish to life by melting their wonderfully sweet caramelised juices into the spicy coconut sauce and creating a gorgeous consistency. A warm and inviting curry with husky flavours of cumin and garam masala and a pungent taste of ginger all infused with the sweetness of the potatoes. It really is the ultimate healthy, comfort food.

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe makes enough sweet potato curry to serve 4 people:

Ingredient notes

Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and also use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.

Sweet potatoes: If preferred you can use normal potatoes, and make potato and spinach curry.

Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut as reduced fat will make the curry watery.

Chickpeas: Optional or can be replaced with other pulses such as beans, split peas or lentils.

Yogurt (not pictured): Yogurt is an optional topping, but its creamy and cooling nature works really well with the heat from the spices. Choose plain yogurt.

🔪 Step by step instructions

1. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until golden brown (be careful not to burn them). As soon as the seeds start to change colour add in the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a gentle heat until soft.
2. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and cinnamon and cook for a further minute to allow the flavours to be released.
3. Next add the cubed sweet potato, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Stir together well then bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Place a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (blade of a knife pushes in easily).
5. Meanwhile drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and wash the spinach leaves. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the chickpeas and spinach to the curry. Stir in and continue to cook on the heat until the spinach has wilted. 
6. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice then serve with rice and naan. Add toppings if desired: yogurt, fresh coriander, chilli flakes, onion seeds and lime wedges.

💭 Expert tips

• Frying cumin seeds: Add a couple of cumin seeds to test the heat of the oil. If the seeds bubble then the oil is hot enough. Add the rest of the seeds but only cook briefly, until just golden brown, before adding the onions. Be aware that cumin seeds are quick to burn, which will create a bitter taste throughout the dish.
• Chickpeas: To avoid any chickpeas skins floating around in the curry, place the chickpeas in a sieve then agitate under a running tap to loosen any skins. Pick these out and discard.
• Make it your own: Use split peas, lentils or beans, or completely swap the chickpeas for one of these. Try with different types of lentils (green, yellow) or add other vegetables such as roasted squash, roast cauliflower, courgette or aubergine. And for an extra protein boost try with shredded chicken or poached fish.

❓ Frequently asked questions

🍛 Other Curry recipes

• Thai Green Prawn Curry
• Red Lentil Dahl
• Fish Biryani
• Thai Red Curry Recipe
• Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
• Thai Panang Curry
• Thai Green Curry Recipe

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📖 Recipe

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

By: Debbie Jones

Warm and comforting sweet potato and chickpea curry made with a lightly spiced coconut sauce. This wholesome and nutritious vegetarian curry is made in one big pan and can be ready in just one hour.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Dinner, evening meal, fake away, main meal

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Calories 238 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Large pan or wok

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

MetricUS Customary

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ▢ 1 onion roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• ▢ 2 cm piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
• ▢ 2 tablespoons medium curry powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ▢ 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into small chunks
• ▢ 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• ▢ 1 tin coconut milk full fat
• ▢ 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• ▢ 1 small tin chickpeas
• ▢ Lime juice to taste
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Extras to serve

• ▢ Rice
• ▢ Plain yogurt
• ▢ Chilli flakes
• ▢ Onion seeds
• ▢ Fresh coriander
• ▢ Naan bread

Instructions

 

• Heat up the oil in a large frying pan, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until golden brown (be careful not to burn them). As soon as the seeds start to change colour add in the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a gentle heat until soft.
  1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger
• Stir in the curry powder, garam masala and cinnamon and cook for a further minute to allow the flavours to be released.
  2 tablespoons medium curry powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• Next add the cubed sweet potato, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Stir together well then bring to a gentle simmer.
  2 large sweet potatoes, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 1 tin coconut milk
• Place a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (blade of a knife pushes in easily).
• Meanwhile drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and wash the spinach leaves. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the chickpeas and spinach to the curry. Stir in and continue to cook on the heat until the spinach has wilted.
  1 small tin chickpeas, 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• Season with salt, pepper and lime juice then serve with rice and naan. Add toppings if desired: yogurt, fresh coriander, chilli flakes, onion seeds and lime wedges.
  Lime juice to taste, Rice, Plain yogurt, Chilli flakes, Onion seeds, Fresh coriander, Naan bread

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 988mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 25711IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 4mg

Notes

Note: Above nutritional info is for 1 portion of curry with toppings but without any sides such as rice or naan bread.

Sweet potatoes: If preferred you can use normal potatoes, and make potato and spinach curry.

Coconut milk: Use full fat coconut as reduced fat will make the curry watery.

Chickpeas: Optional or can be replaced with other pulses such as beans, split peas or lentils. To avoid any chickpeas skins floating around in the curry, place the chickpeas in a sieve then agitate under a running tap to loosen any skins. Pick these out and discard.

Yogurt: Yogurt is an optional topping, but its creamy and cooling nature works really well with the heat from the spices. Choose plain yogurt.

Frying cumin seeds: Add a couple of cumin seeds to test the heat of the oil. If the seeds bubble then the oil is hot enough. Add the rest of the seeds but only cook briefly, until just golden brown, before adding the onions. Be aware that cumin seeds are quick to burn, which will create a bitter taste throughout the dish.

Make it your own: Use split peas, lentils or beans, or completely swap the chickpeas for one of these. Try with different types of lentils (green, yellow) or add other vegetables such as roasted squash, roast cauliflower, courgette or aubergine. And for an extra protein boost try with shredded chicken or poached fish.

Is sweet potato and chickpea curry healthy?
This curry is packed full of nutrients including protein, fibre, iron and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Chickpeas are low in fat and high in protein and along with the sweet potatoes will do a great. Job of filling you up due to both containing plenty of fibre. Spinach is also a great option for boosting your iron and folate levels.

How to make this curry extra spicy?
If you like your curry hot then there are a couple of extras you can add to turn up the heat. Try adding fresh green or red chopped chillies during cooking. The increase the heat further use smaller chillies and leave in the seeds. You could also add chilli flakes whiles cooking or add chilli sauce or Tabasco as toppings.

How to store?
What to do with any leftovers? Once fully cooled you can transfer any leftover curry to a sealable container. Seal and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight (if frozen) then transfer to a pan and heat until piping hot throughout.

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This post was first published in Sept 2016. Updated in Mar 2022 with an improved recipe, new images, step by step instructions and expert tips.